Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Our Place – Safe Space The impact of domestic violence on children and young people.

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Presentation on theme: "Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Our Place – Safe Space The impact of domestic violence on children and young people."— Presentation transcript:

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Our Place – Safe Space The impact of domestic violence on children and young people Improving Children’s Lives Conference Queen’s University Belfast 20 – 22 February 2014 Sarah Mason and Sandra McNamee Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Domestic violence is impacting upon the safety and stability of hundreds of millions of children worldwide each year.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Our key message… Some of the biggest victims of domestic violence are the smallest. UNICEF (2006) Behind Closed Doors, the Impact of Domestic Violence on Children.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people What do we know from research…? As many as 275 million worldwide are exposed to violence in the home. Up to 963,000 children across the UK exposed to domestic violence. Approximately 32,000 children and young people living with domestic violence in Northern Ireland. Behind Closed Doors The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children UNICEF research (2006 ) NSPCC research (November 2011) estimated 33,000 babies under 1 in England are living with a parent who reports domestic abuse. Cuthbert, C et al (2011) All Babies Count. NSPCC

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people What about Northern Ireland? PSNI statistics ,190 incidents with a domestic motivation reported. PSNI responded to a domestic incident every 19 minutes every day. 29% of all murders had a domestic motivation. Almost 2.5 times as many domestic related crimes as drug offences. More than 5 times as many domestic related crimes as car thefts. Statistics for MARACs (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences) January November2013, 6049 high risk cases of domestic violence involving 8162 children discussed. Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland: Monthly Update to 31 March Published, May PSNI Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Total number of calls managed between April March ,597 (8.5 % increase)

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Children experience domestic violence with all their senses. They see it, hear it, feel it… fear it.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people FearStressTraumaConfusion Lack of trust GuiltIsolationShameAnger Loss of confidence Effects of domestic violence on children and young people How does domestic violence impact upon children and young people?

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people What do children and young people tell us? I didn’t feel safe. I was scared at home and was constantly getting up to make sure the doors were locked at night. I was always worried about my mam’s safety. I blamed myself for what was going on and always felt I was going to be in trouble. I couldn’t control my anger, I couldn’t communicate with people properly or get my opinion across without getting annoyed and mad. I didn’t feel happy and didn’t trust anyone.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Every child has the right to grow up safe from harm and should feel that those they love are also protected. Violence in the home shatters a child’s basic right to feel safe and secure in the world. Behind Closed Doors The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children UNICEF research Women’s Aid believes domestic violence is a violation of children’s rights.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Meeting the needs of children and young people has always been a priority in Women’s Aid.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Getting it Right! – Learning from the experts… To have a safe space that’s our place To be happy To have adults we can trust To be clearer about abuse To have information more ready for us For stigma to be removed.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Our vision for children and young people “Our Place-Safe Space”-a future where all children and young people are safe and protected from domestic and sexual violence; where they have self-belief, respect for themselves and others and where their fundamental human rights are met.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Vision Prevention work Working with mothers Supporting children in refuge Social/ recreational activities Group work and one to one work floating support/ outreach Qualified staff Partnership working Our model for working with children and young people

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Prevention work in schools Helping Hands for Children (primary) Heading for Healthy Relationships H4HR (post primary)

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Children feel and/or are unsafe Lack of social guardians Individuals motivated to cause pain, injury and distress Developing Social Guardians to deliver Helping Hands We all have the right to feel safe all of the time Others have the right to feel safe with us There is nothing so awful or so small that we can’t talk about it with someone Plan to Protect Model, Developing Social Guardians to Deliver Helping Hands training

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people I will deliver PDMU with more knowledge, insight and sensitivity, aiming to strongly deliver the message of the right to feel safe and the importance of talking to someone. It was very important for teachers to learn about the types of negative experiences that children are subjected to at home and how this can impact upon their behaviour and learning at school. Very easy to implement and integrate into the curriculum. A good resource for both pupils and teachers. Very enthusiastically and professionally delivered. One of the best programmes I have been involved with. Feedback from teachers…

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Working with mothers Dr. Liz Kelly points out "One simple and yet key principle from which we can begin is that woman protection is frequently the most effective form of child protection". Holder, R et al (1994) Suffering in Silence? Children and Young People who witness Domestic Violence

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people You and Me, Mum Overall aim To provide a ten week self help programme, which will empower, support and develop further understanding of role as mothers, in addressing the needs of children and young people who have lived with domestic violence.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Supporting mothers – You and Me, Mum Case study Kelly’s story

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people How do we measure outcomes for children and young people? Based upon high level outcomes Suite of key performance indicators Operates at local and regional levels Quantitative and qualitative data Utilises creative qualitative evaluation tools

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Measuring outcomes ( ) 546 children accommodated in refuge. 4,469 children indirectly supported through Floating Support service. 14 babies were born to women in refuge. 1,517 one to one support sessions held with children and young people in refuge. Since 1999, Women’s Aid across Northern Ireland has provided refuge to 14,902 children and young people Since 2008, 515 mothers and 884 children supported through You & Me, Mum

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people In Women’s Aid supported 5,767 children and young people

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Our most important measurement tool…

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people I know to tell someone about bad secrets I will feel lost without them To be able to tell my mum how I’m feeling To know my oh oh! Signs It made me happy It was the best ever I feel safe and happy Children 5 – 10 If I could sum up in one sentence how Women’s Aid has helped me it would be…

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people That it helped me to feel better and safer I am happier now I am happier and not getting into trouble at school I know what to do when I am scared It helped my moods and behaviour I learned how to have respect Becoming valued by myself Young people If I could sum up in one sentence how Women’s Aid has helped me it would be…

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people After getting support I feel safe and more confident to go up the town. I am not as worried about mam’s safety as I was. I’m not feeling as angry as I was. I am now aware of the danger signs and what to do in a difficult situation. I am now happy to talk about what happened, even though I do not like what happened. I am now able to talk to my friends and my support worker about life.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Things that could have been better… More talking and less filling stuff in! More trips! More parties! A longer programme (I didn’t want it to end).

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people The importance of supporting mothers and children If children don’t have opportunities to be involved in individual work and if mums don’t have opportunities to get support, children are more likely to have poor outcomes in late childhood and also into adulthood. Dr John Devaney, Director of Education for Social Work, Queens University Belfast WAFNI You and Me, Mum evaluation 2013

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people Thank you for listening.

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Our Place – Safe Space A 5 year strategy for children and young people To find out more about our services…